SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SHARING DIGITAL IMAGES OVER A CONTENT-BASED NETWORK

• US 20100023979A1
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shah, Mehul, Miller, Scott, Chen, David, Patel, Vipul
• Granted Patent: US 9,525,851 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00098 via a television channel, e.g. for a series of still pictures with or without sound
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00137 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00151 with selective access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A head end application server is coupled to a photo-sharing server having an Internet interface. A video content network is coupled to the head end application server, and a terminal is coupled to the video content network at a location remote from the head end application server and the photo-sharing server. The photo-sharing server is configured to accept upload of digital still images via the Internet interface, and the digital still images are in a format other than MPEG I-frames. The head end application server is configured to receive a request from the terminal and, responsive to the request, to fetch the digital still images from the photo-sharing server, transcode the digital still images into MPEG I-frames, and make the MPEG I-frames available, over the video content network, for selective display via the terminal. The system can advantageously function without use of a video-on-demand server.

Claims

1. A video content system comprising:

a head end application server;

a photo-sharing server, coupled to said head end application server, and having an Internet interface;

a video content network coupled to said head end application server; and

a terminal coupled to said video content network at a location remote from said head end application server and said photo-sharing server;

wherein;

said photo-sharing server is configured to accept upload of digital still images via said Internet interface, said digital still images being in a format other than MPEG I-frames; and

said head end application server is configured to receive a request from said terminal and, responsive to said request, to fetch said digital still images from said photo-sharing server, to transcode said digital still images into MPEG I-frames, and to make said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal.

2. The video content system of claim 1, wherein said head end application server is configured to make said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for said selective display via said terminal, substantially without use of a video-on-demand server.

3. The video content system of claim 2, further comprising a photo-sharing application stored on said terminal, wherein said request from said terminal originates from said photo-sharing application.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said terminal further comprises an MPEG-2 decoder and wherein said photo-sharing application is configured to display said MPEG I-frames as a slide show.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said photo-sharing application is configured to permit a user to navigate said MPEG I-frames.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said photo-sharing server and said head end application server are cooperatively configured to permit a person uploading said digital images to said photo-sharing server to add individual additional images to already-uploaded images and are further cooperatively configured to accept said individual additional images in said format other than MPEG I-frames and to convert said individual additional images into said MPEG I-frames without having to re-convert said already-uploaded images.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein said head end application server and said photo-sharing server are collocated in a head end of said video content network.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein said photo-sharing server is located remotely from said head end application server.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein said head end application server is configured to make said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal, via out-of-band communication over said video content network.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein said head end application server is configured to make said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal, via an Internet protocol over MPEG scheme, in-band over said video content network.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of additional terminals, wherein said terminals communicate with said head end application server via a shared session in said Internet protocol over MPEG scheme, over said video content network.

12. A video content system configured to interface with an external photo-sharing server having stored thereon digital still images in a format other than MPEG I-frames, said system comprising:

a head end application server configured to be coupled to the external photo-sharing server;

a video content network coupled to said head end application server; and

a terminal coupled to said video content network at a location remote from said head end application server;

wherein said head end application server is configured to;

receive a request from said terminal and,

responsive to said request;

to fetch the digital still images from the photo-sharing server,

to transcode said digital still images into MPEG I-frames, and

to make said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal.

13. The video content system of claim 12, wherein said head end application server is configured to make said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for said selective display via said terminal, substantially without use of a video-on-demand server.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said head end application server is configured to make said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal, via out-of-band communication over said video content network.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said head end application server is configured to make said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal, via an Internet protocol over MPEG scheme, in-band over said video content network.

16. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a head end application server, a request from a remote terminal, said request being received over a video content network;

fetching digital still images from a photo-sharing server, said digital still images being in a format other than MPEG I-frames;

transcoding said digital still images into MPEG I-frames; and

responsive to said request, making said MPEG I-frames available from said head end application server, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said head end application server makes said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal, substantially without use of a video-on-demand server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, in said receiving step, said request from said remote terminal originates from a photo-sharing application on said terminal.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the additional step of facilitating display of said MPEG I-frames on said terminal as a slide show.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising the additional step of facilitating navigation of said MPEG I-frames on said terminal

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of making said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal, comprises sending said MPEG I-frames via out-of-band communication over said video content network.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of making said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal, comprises sending said MPEG I-frames via an Internet protocol over MPEG scheme, in-band over said video content network.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising the additional step of facilitating a plurality of additional terminals communicating with said head end application server via a shared session in said Internet protocol over MPEG scheme, over said video content network.

24. A system comprising:

means for receiving, at a head end application server, a request from a remote terminal, said request being received over a video content network;

means for fetching digital still images from a photo-sharing server, said digital still images being in a format other than MPEG I-frames;

means for transcoding said digital still images into MPEG I-frames; and

means for, responsive to said request, making said MPEG I-frames available, from said head end application server, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said means for making said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal, substantially avoid use of a video-on-demand server.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said means for making said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal, comprise means for sending said MPEG I-frames via out-of-band communication over said video content network.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein said means for making said MPEG I-frames available, over said video content network, for selective display via said terminal, comprise means for sending said MPEG I-frames via an Internet protocol over MPEG scheme, in-band over said video content network.